Inner tube for elastic vehicle-tires.



E. w. RAWDON. I INNER TUBE FOR ELASTIC VEHICLE TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2, I911- v 1 Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

avwemtoz i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD WQRAWDON, or AKRON, OHIO.

INNER TUBE FOR ELASTIC VEHICLE-TIRES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDW'ARD W. RAWDON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Akron, in thecounty of Summit and State ofOhio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Inner Tubes for ElasticVehicle-Tires, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in inflatable inner tubes fordouble tube pneumatic tires. The object of the invention is to providean inner tube capable of being inflated for holding the outer shoe orcasing of the tire in its expanded position for use.

More particularly the invention consists in the provision of meanscontained within the inner tube by which the tube may be infiated .whilein use by the revolution of the inner tube in unison with the wheel onwhich the same is positioned, to the end that a tire will always beproperly inflated to the required degree by supplying air to the innertube under pressure by automatically operable means positionedwithin'the inner tube.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists inthe novel construction, combination and arrangement of partsconstituting the invention to be here inafter specifically described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereofwherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is tobe understood that changes, variation and modifications can be resortedto which come within the scope of the matter hereinafter claimed.

In the drawings in which similar reference numerals indicate like partsin the different drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an inner tube embodying thepresent invention showing the same in its expanded or inoperativeposition.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the inflating means in itscompressed or operative position, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on line 3 ofFig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail reference numeral 1 denotes an innertube of conventional pattern and as the general construction of theinner tube is unimportant Specification of Letters Patent. t t d 13, 7

Application filed February 2, 1917.

Serial No. 146,114.

to thi invention and as the same is well known, no attempt is made toshow the entire tube'but only so much thereof as will show the presentinvention. within the inner tube and preferably formed integral withthe. side walls thereof is a thick elastic or resilient partition orplug 2 preferably provided with concave ends 3 Positioned and 4. Theplug or partition 2 completely divides or interrupts the interiorchamber or cavity of the tube 1. The partition or plug 2 is formed witha longitudinally-extending recess 5 approximately crescentshaped inlongitudinal and transverse section as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to providea central portion 6 and tWotapering end portions 7 and 8 the latterterminating approximately near the center of the end wall 4 of themember 2 and establishing open communication with the interior of themain '5. Communicating with the portion 7 of the opening 5 is a duct 11the lower end of which is in open communication with the portion 7 andwhich is closed through the medium of a flap valve 12 similar to thevalve 10 so arranged as to prevent the egress or passage of air from therecess 5 into the duct 11. The upper end of the duct 11 terminate in aninflating tube 13 of any preferred construction the upper end of whichis preferably closed by means of a cap 14 covered by a screen orprovided with minute perforations 15. When the inner tube is properlypositioned within the outer wear resisting casing or shoe of a pneumatictire and the wheel on which the tire is mounted is revolved the weightof the wheel and the car acts to move the walls of the recess 5 towardeach other thereby forcing the air contained therein outwardly past thevalve 10 into the chamber or cavity of the inner tube for assisting inmaintaining a proper degree of inflation therein and the egress or thepassage of air outwardly from the recess 5 through the duct 11 isprevented by the valve 12. This pumping action or eX- pulsion of airfrom the reces 5 into the cavity of the inner tube takes place wheneverthe portion of the tire containing the partition or plug 2 is at thelower point of its cycle or revolution and is in contact with theroadway. WVhen the portion of the tire containing the member 2 movesupwardly from its operative position in contact with the roadway, theweight of the wheel and the car is removed from the partition 2 and theside walls of the recess 5 are permitted to separate or move apartintothe position shown in Fig. 1. During the movement of the walls of therecess 5 to their open or expanded position a sucking or exhaust actiontakes place which closes the valve 10 and opens the valve 11 allowing afresh charge of air to pass through the duct 11 into the rece s. 5 andthe action is repeated every time the portion of the tire containing themember 2 i at the lower portion of its cycle of movement. When theproper pressure or degree of inflation of the tube 1 has been reached,the air in the inner tube forces the end walls 3 and 4: of the member 2toward each other and moves the walls of the recess into substantialcontact and thus substantially closes or obliterates the recess 5 andalso moves both valves 10 and 11 to their closed positions which remainin these positions until the pressure of air in the cavity of the innertube has been reduced suiticiently to permit the pumping action of thewalls of the recess 5 to resume their function of forcing air into theinner tube. The screen or minute perforations 1 5 of the cap 14; serveto prevent the entrance of dirt and other foreign matters to theinterior of the recess 5,

I claim:

1. An inner tube embodying a body portion, a block formed integraltherewith and constituting a relatively long partition extendingcompletely across the chamber of the tube, said partition provided witha longitudinal recess crescent-shaped in central cross and longitudinalradial sections, one end of said recess having direct connection withthe chamber of said tube, the other end of the recess communicating withthe atmosphere, the said recess during the compression of the tubesubstantially completely closing from the air receiving end thereoftoward the discharge end into the chamber of said inner tube.

2. An inner tube including a body por tion, a relatively long, solidblock extending oss the Q mhsr thereof o pr d a pa tition, saidpartition provided with a recess ending long tu nally h re d O nth iledi both ross and ongitudina nt al, ad a (se tion, a d re e c mmunieatingdirectly one of its ends with the amber f the ub t e pp it n f id recescomm cating h h m phra-e the partition being formed of rubber capable ofcompression whereby the opposite end walls of the block are moved intoclose relationship with a substantially complete clo of the recess fromone end toward the other when the tube has obe t desir d infl ti ny n etim y wh eo ha hereunte Se my hand.

EDWARD w, RAWDON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byvaddressing: the Commissioner of Eatents,

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